Electronic Library of Scientific Literature
Electronic Library of Scientific Literature
Volume 41 / No. 1/ 1998
Jozef Darmo
The author characterises the main features of contemporary process of media systems' transformation in the post-communist countries and, especially, in Slovakia. He argues that: 1) Communities in these countries still live in the period of transition from totality to democracy, 2) The new institutions securing democratic transformation stabilise in terms of their jurisdiction but have not fully used their potential, 3) By totality devastated legal consciousness weakens the legal stability of the society and the respect for law, 4) The political system is being crystallised, political structures of parties are more declared and artificially created than springing from social movement below, and are not nurtured by this movement, 5) The media system undergoes the process of complex transformation. Not only privatisation and commercialisation is present, but also changes in communication technology, 6) The process of liberation from residues of totality, and adopting the alphabet of democracy result in complications and even conflicts. The new communication culture is only being formed, often hampered by suspicion, distrust, which produce irreconcilable conflict. The politicians, journalists and public interpret, and in practice often controversially apply individual principles of democracy, 7) Also the professional circles of journalists, publishers, public and private media only look for their right status and functions in society, their relation to the existing political system, public and citizen, as well as professional solidarity, tolerance in their own professional environment.
pp. 1-6
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Kosta Gouliamos
This study deals mainly with the impact of media globalisation on the national markets developments. The author states that the relationship between globalisation and national media market is a blend of antagonisms and co-operation. The internal social structures specific to each country's economic commitments, constitution and culture must take the strain of increasing communication between the citizens of these countries and a wider world in which human rights in general and citizens' rights within the information society in particular will be a political challenge. According to the author, the globalisation may: a) lead to an elimination of unskilled jobs and the deskilling of many other occupations, b) cause restrictions on the accessibility of information as well the capacity of a given power system, c) make an invasion of privacy posed by the electronic systems, d) divide and fracture our planet and increase disparities (between both the North and South, and between different social groups within nations), e) increase the corporate control over the provision of information and, therefore, culture, f) raise risks for intellectual rights. The author believes that the characteristics described in his study provide the basis of a rational approach for considering the long term policy framework suitable for handling new transactional services between European Union and Central and East European countries. However, transitional arrangement must reflect socio-cultural concerns and will have to recognise different starting points of each individual state.
pp. 6-12
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Samuel Breèka
The author argues that possibilities of development and functioning
of the national media markets depend generally on numerous internal
(domestic) and outer (foreign, international, global) factors.
The most important are: 1) domestic and international legislative
conditions, 2) economic conditions in general (the development
of domestic and international economy and related development
of advertising market as the economic basis of media existence),
3) capacity of media market (its size), and 4) development of
communication technologies.
Using the Slovak media market as an example, the author discuses
these factors and their impact. He realises that the Slovak media
market is small, poor, unbalanced and badly regulated. Because
of its small capacity, the Slovak media market is: a) not attractive
for the strong foreign partners, b) prone to risk from business
point of view, c) vulnerable from outside,
d) strongly dependent on import of cheap media (audio-visual)
products since domestic production is relatively expensive, e)
has limited investment sources and thus limited possibilities
of technological development, and f) more dependent on protection,
subsidies, and assistance of state which may effect media independence.
pp. 12-15
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Vibeke G. Petersen
Dealing with television regulation, the author concentrates
on the issue of bringing national broadcasting legislation into
line with the EU Directive on "Television without frontiers"
- how it was done in Denmark, and why it is necessary. According
to author, the implementation of the directive into Danish broadcasting
legislation was fairly simple because Danish rules on advertising
and sponsorship were already in conformity with European rules.
The problems arose at the political level. The Danish government
claimed that television belongs in the sphere of culture, and
since culture did not form part of the Treaty, the European Union
had no right to regulate television. This particular Danish problem
was solved when the Treaty was amended to incorporate culture.
But the rules on quotas of European content have continued to
be controversial not only in Denmark but in the Union. The resistance
against fixed quota has been interpreted by some as a surrender
to the American film industry and a lack of concern for the survival
of the European audiovisual industry. The author do not agree
with this view. She argues that the most often repeated reason
was rather that quotas do not guarantee good quality.
The author concludes her paper wit the most interesting addition
to the directive - the rules on major sports events on TV. The
new article, in view of the author, is interesting because it
recognises that the increasing commercialisation of television
poses a threat to free television. The prices of television rights
to important sports events have skyrocketed during the last few
years. With the tendency towards fewer and bigger media dominating
the market, big events may become too expensive for free TV stations.
Ordinary viewers may than be excluded from following such events
on TV, and as a result society is deprived of some of its cultural
cohesion.
pp. 15-18
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Loic Taillanter
This paper deals with the French approach to the EU Directive "Television without Frontiers". The author concentrates on the French proposals to revise the Directive from 1989. The main aim of these proposals was to support diffusion of the European audiovisual works as well as to strengthen the European programme industry in order to be able to compete with American audiovisual industry. The author discusses two big questions: Quotas on European programmes and transmission of major events. The quotas were the main point of disagreement during the last few years' negotiations over the amended directive - with a minority of countries plus the European Parliament wanting a fixed quota (of minimum 51%) and a majority insisting on a certain flexibility being kept in the directive. The author also deals with the rules relating to major events on TV. To his view, the organizers of these events are fully allowed to sell the television rights for these events. The last part of the papers discusses protection of minors against violence, eroticism and pornography in films, television programmes and serials. He presents classification of programmes in five categories: 1) Programmes for general public, 2) programmes with scenes which may offend young audiences, 3) films and programmes banned for children under 12 and programmes which may offend young audiences, especially if the physical and psychical violence in scenario is systematically repeated, 4) films and erotic programmes banned for youth under 16 which portrayal an excessive violence and therefore may negatively affect the physical and psychical health of minors, 5) programmes with pornography and extreme violence which may seriously damage the physical and psychical health of minors.
pp. 19-22
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Nuno Almeide Conde
The author discuses media market developments in the process
of media globalisation and the role of Europe in the global market.
Firstly he states that emergence of global players in the audiovisual
sector is due to the present trend for horizontal concentration
of companies in this sector. Secondly he pointed out that concentration
in the audiovisual sector follows traditional capitalistic rules:
concentration reinforces companies transaction power vis-a-vis
distributors and generates scale economies.
For the European audiovisual industry, it must be able to compete
on a global market. Alliances between audiovisual companies turn
out to be on of the finest solutions to produce the required investments
and scale economies in the audiovisual capital-intensive industry.
Europe has a huge audiovisual consumption potential. Digitalisation
will expand the audiovisual market rather than replace existing
contents and services. Conventional media such as written press
or free-to-air television will not disappear. The "free TV"
model will remain dominant. However, revenues from cable subscription,
pay TV, pay-per-view, video and cinema ticket sales are expected
to grow faster than television advertising. The author mentions
that in the analogue age scarcity of transmission capacity was
the main concern. Now, the digital problem is going to be the
scarcity of contents. Therefor, low cost production will be vital
to the competitiveness of the European audiovisual industry.
pp. 22-25
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František Šinka
Keywords: continual research - watching television - television news - listening to the radio - reading the press
This study analyses research data on the public's exposure to the media in Slovakia. The data collected by the Institute for Public Opinion Research in spring 1997 are compared with the older findings of this institution. Doing so, the author has placed the last research results in the broader context which enable him not only to interpret the last findings but also to suggest the possible developments in the future. The results show that the most frequently watched TV station is the private TV Markíza (viewed daily by 48% of the adult population) followed by the public channel STV 1 (39,1%), the second channel of the Slovak Television STV 2 (16,4%), the Czech TV station NOVA (12,3) and satellite and cable channel VTV (5,4%). The most often heard radio is the first channel of the Slovak Radio Slovensko 1 (40,9% daily), then Rock FM Radio (the third channel of the Slovak Radio) (17,9%). The most popular private radios are FUN Radio (9,5%) and Radio Twist (6,8%). The Slovak press market is dominated by dailies Nový Èas (24%) and Pravda (14,7%).
pp. 29-41
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Igor Boháè - ¼ubor Hallon
Keywords: programme schedule - dual broadcasting system - content's structure - content analysis - programme types, categories and formats - broadcast's provenience - broadcasting place - sociological pilot study - evaluating attitudes - range of preference - public service institution
The authors deal in detail with the results of comparative
content analysis of the programme offer of the Slovak television
channels STV, VTV and Markíza as well as with public's
attitudes to this offer.
In order to achieve the research aim, the authors used two relatively
independent levels of analysis and different methodology. First
of all, they analysed complexly the programme offer of the four
TV channels (STV 1, STV 2, VTV, Markiza) which are accessible
for the majority of the Slovak population. That offer was analysed
according to the main attributes by which the programme schedule
is determined. That means, the programme offer was analysed according
to programme types, categories and genres as well as according
to the programme's provenience. At the same time, the authors
tried to decode the target age groups of analysed programmes.
Totally, 7 478 programme items were analysed.
Simultaneously, the authors conducted the sociological pilot study
in order to identify the viewers attitudes to some aspects of
the programme schedule, their selectivity, and their preference
for some programme types. They also searched for viewers' evaluating
attitudes to the profile entertaining programmes of the channels
under inquiry and for factors determining the viewers communication
behaviour. The survey was conducted among the Slovak adult population
using the sample of 1148 interviewees.
The analysis showed that television programme offer is sufficiently
wide and could, under some conditions, to saturate spiritual needs
of the Slovak population.
As for real use of the programme offer, it is evident that newscasts
of the STV and Markiza are preferred. Films and series are more
watched on Markiza TV, while home drama and entertainment are
more frequently watched on STV.
Generally, the analysis of the TV programme offer could reveal
some facts which are not obvious at the first glance. Exactly,
these facts accompanied by the viewers' attitudes to the different
programme attributes could be worthy for media managers to compose
the programme schedule of their TV channels.
pp. 43-61
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DIVÁCKE ZÁZEMIE STV A TV MARKÍZA
NÁRODNOSTNÁ OTÁZKA V DENNÍKOCH
PRAVDA, ÚJ SZÓ, SLOVENSKÁ REPUBLIKA, SME
pp. 62-73
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RECENZIE
pp. 74-76
ZO ZAHRANIÈIA
pp. 77-83
KRONIKA
pp. 84-87
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